Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library

Metallov, Archpriest Vasily

Metallov

METALLOV, Vasily Mikhailovich (p. 1 [13] March 1862, the village of Antipovka, Kamyshinsky district of the Saratov province; died June 1, 1926, Moscow)—Archpriest, historian and theorist of Russian church singing, paleographer, composer, and pedagogue. The son of a village priest, orphaned early in life, he graduated from the Saratov Theological Seminary, and then from the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1884 he was ordained a priest of the Church of the Archangel Michael in the village Lipovka of the Tsaritsyn district, where he organized a male choir comprised of parishioners, for whom he composed chants arrangements. Metallov was greatly influenced by his acquaintance with Archpriest Dmitry Razumovsky, a professor of the Moscow Conservatory. In 1895, having received an invitation from the director of the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing Stepan Smolensky, he moved to Moscow, where he became involved in the creation of a library of early Russian musical manuscripts, and taught at the Synodal School, becoming a member the School’s Supervisory Council. In 1901 he was offered the post of Professor of Church Singing and Religion Instructor at the Moscow Conservatory. The Holy Synod appointed him as a reviewer of church hymns submitted for publication. In 1914 he received a Master's Degree in Theology for his thesis, “Liturgical Singing of the Russian Church: The Pre-Mongol Period” (1906, 1912). After 1917 he continued his scholarly and teaching activities at the State Academy of Arts and the Moscow Theological Academy. On June 2, 1919, the People's Commissariat of Education adopted a resolution to exempt Metallov from the order that prevented clergymen from holding academic posts “... in consideration of Professor Metallov's deep knowledge in the history and theory of sacred music.”

Relying on numerous handwritten sources, Metallov studied the topics dealing with notation, the Octoechos (Eight Tones), and the origins of znamenny chant.

As a composer, Metallov authored more than 50 sacred works, mainly for a mixed four-part choir, as well as the cycles "Hymns at the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" (Kievan chant, 1893) and "Hymns of the All-night Vigil in Early Chants" (Kiev and Russian “Greek” Chants, 1898). In his works, most of which were published by P. Jurgenson (Nos. 1–35), Metallov adhered to the so-called “strict style” of harmony, identified by him, the principles of are outlined in his 1897 book of the same name.

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Kheruvimskaia pesn'

Cherubic hymn

Kievan Chant

Author's edition

Not found

Me046

No. 24 Khristos ot mertvykh vosta

Christ is risen from the dead

Bulgarian Chant

Sessional Hymn, Tone 5 [3?]

SATB

PJu #17284 17392

First printed edition.

Me024

No. 33 Khvalite Gospoda s nebes

Praise the Lord from the Heavens

"Ordinary Church Chant"

SATB

PJu #17293 17401

First printed edition.

defective original

Me033

No. 32 Khvalite imia Gospodne

Praise the Name of the Lord

"Ordinary Church Chant"

SATB

PJu #17292 17400

First printed edition.

Me032

No. 22 Krest Gospodenʹ

We praise the Cross of the Lord

Bulgarian Chant

Sessional Hymn, Tone 3 [5?]

SATB

PJu #17282 17390

First printed edition.

Me022

No. 7 Krestu Tvoemu pokloniaemsia

Before Thy Cross

Greek Chant

SATB

PJu #17267 17375

First printed edition.

Me007

No. 41 Milost' mira (No. 1 F major)

The Creed

PJu #16957 16957а

Not found

Me041

No. 42 Milost' mira (No. 2 C major)

The Creed

PJu #16958 16058а

Not found

Me042

No. 43 Milost' mira (No. 3 C major)

The Creed

PJu #17160 17610

Not found

Me043

Mironositsam zhenam

To the myrrh-bearing women

Bulgarian Chant

Troparia for Holy Friday at Vespers and Holy Saturday at Matins

Author's edition

Not found

Me052